Twenty-three-year-old Jairisa Sanchez is bucking the odds for women in Nicaragua, which has some of the highest rates of teen pregnancy and violence against women in the Americas. When she’s not working as a graphic designer, Sanchez is a rare graffitera, a female graffiti artist.

Over the past year, the US Border Patrol has apprehended tens of thousands of Central American children crossing the US-Mexico border alone. So why are kids from Nicaragua, the region’s poorest country, staying at home?

Over the past year, the US Border Patrol has apprehended tens of thousands of Central American children crossing the US-Mexico border alone. So why are kids from Nicaragua, the region’s poorest country, staying at home?

Twenty-three-year-old Jairisa Sanchez is bucking the odds for women in Nicaragua, which has some of the highest rates of teen pregnancy and violence against women in the Americas. When she’s not working as a graphic designer, Sanchez is a rare graffitera, a female graffiti artist.